The leadership crisis in public safety is no longer theoretical. Agencies across policing, fire and EMS are promoting faster and asking more of leaders with less time to prepare. That reality frames Lexipol’s Connect 2025 session, “Confronting the Leadership Crisis: Key Strategies for Building a Leadership Development Program in Your Agency,” a panel discussion featuring public safety leaders Billy Goldfeder, Otto Huber, Scott Hughes, and Dawn Layman.
Across disciplines and ranks, the panelists share perspectives and real-world scenarios that point to the same conclusion: While leadership challenges can emerge at any level, they most often take root at the first supervisory level, where daily decisions, attitudes, and accountability shape everything that follows.
First-Line Supervisors Set the Ceiling for the Organization
Deputy Fire Chief Billy Goldfeder sets the tone with a blunt assessment of organizational reality. “You’re made or you’re broken based upon your first-line supervisors,” he says. Chiefs may establish vision and policy, but lieutenants, sergeants, and company officers determine whether those standards live or die in practice. First-line supervisors serve as the daily representatives of the chief and the organization. Without intentional investment in their selection and support, the outcome is predictable. Fire Chief Otto Huber reinforces that idea by focusing on selection and preparation. He stresses the importance of “making sure that we have the right people on the bus and that those people are in the right seat,” noting that supervisors serve as the first point of contact between the organization and the community. That responsibility demands clarity about expectations, mission, and values, because supervisors are often the only version of leadership employees and the public see.Leadership Development Should Begin Before Promotion
A central theme of the webinar is that leadership development cannot be treated as a one-time event. It must start before promotion. As Police Chief Dawn Layman notes, growth does not stop once rank changes. “If you promote, that doesn’t mean you stop growing and learning.” As leaders move up, she adds, their sphere of influence expands, along with their responsibility to seek education, training, and professional engagement. Agencies often wait too long to provide meaningful leadership education. “We’re waiting until they’re promoted to send them to supervisor school,” Police Chief Scott Hughes says, calling that approach outdated and risky. “Don’t wait until they’ve actually got those stripes in their sleeves,” he says. When leadership development begins only after promotion, agencies miss critical opportunities to build readiness, reduce liability, and prepare supervisors for the realities of the role before they ever step into it. Layman encourages aspiring leaders to take ownership of their development by joining professional organizations and pursuing training opportunities. “If you’re willing to do that,” she notes, “I’m willing to send you,” describing a mindset many agencies embrace when initiative is shown. Early leadership development ensures new supervisors assume their positions with a clear understanding of the expectations and realities of leading others.The Difficult Transition from Buddy to Boss
Few leadership challenges are as personal as the shift from peer to supervisor. Goldfeder illustrates this with a familiar scenario: An employee comes to a newly promoted supervisor with a personal problem, expecting peer-level advice. You can’t lead the same way you did when you were just one of the crew. Supervisors must now enforce policy, manage risk and represent the organization, even while showing care and empathy. Huber describes supervisors as the “designated adult on duty,” responsible for recognizing when personal issues require professional intervention rather than informal advice. When expectations are clearly defined and supervisors are supported in their roles, the transition from buddy to boss becomes more manageable. Training and mentoring helps leaders to maintain a personal relationship with their crew while simultaneously requiring professionalism and accountability.WHITE PAPER – 10 key concepts in public safety leadership: DOWNLOAD NOW
Upholding Standards Without Micromanaging
Maintaining standards while avoiding micromanagement is another recurring challenge. Layman frames the solution around learning rather than blame, describing routine debriefs as an “autopsy without blame.” “Just because we debrief a situation doesn’t mean that we did anything wrong,” she says. Debriefs allow leaders to share experiences, reinforce policy intent, and prepare personnel for future incidents. Supervisors must remain visible and engaged. Based on expert witness testimony and case reviews, one of the biggest reasons supervisors are named in lawsuits is due to a lack of presence during critical incidents. Effective supervision requires being in the field with personnel, not confined to administrative tasks removed from daily operations.Culture, Attitude and Accountability
Culture ultimately reflects what leaders tolerate. Hughes points out: “We don’t hire bad employees. We allow bad employees to become bad supervisors.” When toxic behavior goes unaddressed, trust erodes and informal leaders with negative influence emerge. Addressing attitude is not optional. Look beneath surface behavior to identify root causes. Sometimes employees can be redirected; other times leaders must accept the role is not the right fit. Trust remains the foundation. Once employees believe supervisors act fairly and consistently, difficult conversations become easier. The bottom line: Addressing the leadership crisis in public safety requires sustained investment in first-line supervisors, early preparation, and the courage to address behavior before it defines culture. To explore more leadership insights, on-demand sessions and resources from Connect 2025, visit https://www.lexipolconnect.com/ and check out the full lineup of content designed to help agencies build stronger, more resilient leaders.- White Papers
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